Today on the blog, I review author Kimberly Baer's YA paranormal adventure, Out of Body. I received an ARC from the author after being asked to blurb the book. This is the second time I've been explicitly requested to blurb a book and I must admit it still feels like quite an honor!
So, without further ado, on to the review.
Review
Fans of young adult fiction will devour this gem. Alongside the story’s fantastical aspects, Abby faces real-world anxieties adolescent readers will readily identify with.
With Out of Body, Baer provides a story that straddles middle-grade and young adult. Mature readers as young as eleven or so will identify with Abby's adventures and anxieties. In the many ethical dilemmas Abby encounters, older adolescents will discover ample food for thought.
Abby grounds this fantastical tale in reality. She is utterly believable as a younger teen. Although her age is never explicitly stated, I imagine her falling between 14 and 16. The anxieties she faces are the stuff of real life and make her easy to identify with, even after she discovers she is an astral traveler. Abby is essentially a good kid, but that doesn't mean she always makes the right choices. Time and again, she faces ethical dilemmas, often allowing her desire to be part of the in crowd get the better of her. But in the end, when it really counts, her moral compass points true north.
While it is Abby who grounds the story, the paranormal plot twists hook the reader from the first page. Baer sprinkles several satisfying plot twists throughout the novel. In the denouement, Baer lays the groundwork for a sequel. Given the story's strong protagonist, solid supporting cast, and paranormal world-building, there is plenty of material for a series.
I highly recommend this book, especially for younger teen readers.